Tampa tycoon buys Man U stake

THE owner of reigning Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers has bought a 2.9% stake in the world's most famous football club, Manchester United.

Billionaire US sports businessman Malcolm Glazer paid £9m for the stake, the Sunday Telegraph reported. It said a spokesman for the club had confirmed the purchase.

Glazer is the latest in a line of tycoons to buy a slice of Man U in recent weeks. Last week an investment firm behind John de Mol, chairman of Dutch TV production firm Endemol and the man behind reality TV show Big Brother, confirmed he had built a stake of up to 2.5%. Endemol is controlled by Spanish telecoms firm Telefonica. And Irish billionaire Dermot Desmond last month built a 2%-3% share in the club.

Speculation over the mystery buyer behind recent share dealings in Manchester United has occupied British newspapers in recent weeks, helping power its stock 10% higher on the London Stock Exchange since the start of the year.